The Biggest Threat
by Akaiyuki-Tenshi
Summary: Danny's English class gets to try out some new tech, and Danny ends up as the test subject. The class travels through the ghostly teen's mind, learning more than they expected, but when Sam and Tucker tell them to turn back, will they listen? Secrets Revealed story - No PP - No pairings. Rated "T" for safety. This is a short story. It was originally a Oneshot.
1. Chapter 1

**The Biggest Threat**

 **Chapter One**

Danny opened the door to the classroom slowly. He was late _again_ , after another fight with the stupid tin can, Skulker. Two years later, and he wasn't getting any better at fighting the stupid ghosts who enjoyed ransacking the town. Two years later, and he was _still_ late to English class with Mr. Lancer.

Okay, the first part was a lie. Danny _had_ been getting better at fighting off the ghosts who came to call. He was even rapidly approaching Vlad's level of control over his powers. He could make three duplicates without straining himself too much. It just wasn't enough, though. His enemies were improving with him, gaining new technology, thinking of newer and more nefarious plots. There was also the threat of becoming _him_.

Danny didn't know whether or not _he_ could disappear if _he_ was living outside the time stream, like Clockwork had explained. There was always that risk, though. His evil, alternate future self _hadn't_ disappeared from the thermos yet. The half-ghost had no idea if he ever _would_ vanish. He hoped that he would.

The boy quietly slid into the classroom, mind still working through the day's events. It was sixth period, just after lunch, and the fight hadn't taken up too much class time. If he was lucky, Mr. Lancer might even let him off the hook this time around.

Danny was not so fortunate.

"Mr. Fenton. You are late. Again," the bald man called, annoyance seeping through the light tone he tried for. "Fortunately for you, we haven't started the activity scheduled for today, yet. Take a seat, I'll call you up once I'm done explaining."

The halfa groaned to himself, walking back to his usual seat between Sam and Tucker at the back of the classroom. The way Mr. Lancer had said it, Danny had the feeling the activity would directly relate to him, though he knew better.

He scribbled a note to Sam, passing it when the teacher was facing the board.

" _What are we doing today?"_

Sam rolled her eyes, pointing at the large bin sitting next to Lancer's desk. She quickly wrote a short response, passing it back under the guise of a well-needed stretch.

" _Some kind of mind thing."_

It was vague, but Danny understood well enough. If Sam wasn't clear, it meant that she hadn't gotten enough information to clarify. Her straightforwardness was one of the things he had admired about her.

Facing the presentation Lancer was concluding, he saw a diagram of a brain and some kind of weird goggles. Why did _his_ English class always get the new and strange tech to mess around with? The universe was out to get him, trying to expose his secret.

The presentation concluded and the students lined up at the head of the class, each taking a set of goggles and returning to their seat. Mr. Lancer pulled out a little booklet Danny recognized as the grade book, no doubt preparing to fail Danny yet again.

"Daniel, come up here, please," the overweight teacher called over the chatter.

The teen reluctantly trudged up to the front of the classroom. "What is it, sir?"

Mr. Lancer sighed. "I know you're failing my class, Daniel, and I'm going to give you a chance to improve your grade by several letters. If you choose to accept, it should bring you up to about a B minus," he explained, holding up the booklet.

Danny's eyes widened in surprise, a grin spreading across his face. "Really?!"

"Yes," he replied. "All you have to do is be the 'host' for our experiment today. It will take the remainder of our school day, I've already set it up with everyone's teachers. We'll be looking around a bit in your mind. Can you agree to that?"

He felt so conflicted. On one hand, he could improve his grade by leaps and bounds. It was so close to the end of the school year... a B minus would be plenty to scrape through on a C by the last day. On the other hand... Danny _really_ didn't want people snooping around his mind unattended. He was Phantom, of course! He had his own memories and fears he wanted to keep secret. It was a very tempting offer, though... and Sam and Tucker would be there to keep people out of where they shouldn't be.

He knew he would regret it. Heck, he regretted even _thinking_ it, but he had to agree. "I'll do it, Mr. Lancer. Just, please listen to Sam and Tucker when they tell you to stay out of something? Please? There are some things I'd rather not have the entire class seeing."

Mr. Lancer nodded solemnly. "I will do my best, Daniel. Now, go take a seat and hook your goggles up to this cable," he said, holding out a thick black cable. "It will mark you as the host and allow the class to get in easily."

He walked back to his seat, mentally smacking himself for agreeing to it. Sam and Tucker gave him apologetic looks. He knew he could trust them, but he knew that Dash would _love_ to make life harder for him. Even Mr. Lancer wouldn't be able to hold them back forever.

Danny rubbed his temples and pulled the goggles down over his eyes, checking for the flashing light that meant everything was set up. Everyone was in for a bumpy ride.

* * *

Tucker was the first to 'wake up' in Danny's mind. He took a moment to look around and take in his surroundings. The scenery was evenly split in two. He chuckled quietly. If someone knew Danny's secret, or even had a guess about it, seeing this made it so painfully clear. Half of the area was similar to the Ghost Zone, the other half was clean and pristine, shades of blue and black. The dividing path was light grey and very smooth.

The Phantom half, as he decided to call it, was a swirling mass of neon green ectoplasm and floating rocks. Occasionally, there was a path leading to an empty doorframe, but most of the area was glowing neon and void of anything.

On the other half, the Fenton half, there were pictures and videos floating against a blue and black backdrop. Here and there, there were things from Danny's human life that meant a lot to him or he had a habit of using. One of his signature red-and-white t-shirts was hovering next to a photograph of the Fenton family.

The only things Tucker didn't get were the pathways and doorframes connected to the center path, leading to who knows what. There was also a thick fog across the grey path, further down than he wanted to explore. He wanted to stay exactly where he was until the entire class appeared. He wasn't going to risk getting caught up in some bad memories alone.

Just then, Sam, Dash, Mikey, and several other students popped into existence around him, spread across the circular platform he was on. His best friend was standing the fastest, and she walked over to him, taking in the sights.

"Whoa. Phantom and Fenton," she whispered. Then, in a louder voice, "Danny won't be here, since he's the host. I was actually listening when Mr. Lancer was explaining it to us earlier, and I'm kind of worried about what we might run into here."

Tucker nodded in agreement. "That's why I didn't go wandering around while I was waiting for the class to show up. Pretty much anything we could stumble on has the possibility of being a bad memory or a fear."

They turned to count their classmates. It looked like everyone was in, though some were a little off from the adjustment. Sam looked around a bit more, reaching out to touch the green ectoplasm on the Phantom half. Tucker watched her as she grinned a little, wandering around the area they woke up in. Lovebirds.

Mr. Lancer called out to everyone, waving them over to where he and a few other students were standing. "Alright, everyone, we'll make this nice and simple. If I tell you not to go somewhere, we _don't_ go there, got it? We're just going to take a nice and easy trip through Mr. Fenton's mind."

Sam snorted before she was able to stop herself, drawing stares from the class. Tucker almost smacked himself. They had _just_ gotten organized, and they already managed to mess something up. He only hoped no one would ask too many questions.

"Samantha? Is there something you'd like to say?" the teacher asked suspiciously.

"No, no, you go on," she replied pleasantly, shaking her head.

He nodded, and they started off along the path, occasionally stopping to glance in a doorframe or watch a video. The videos, they realized, were pleasant memories Danny had about his friends and family, and occasionally a prank or two. There was a really funny one where Danny gave Vlad a Christmas present, and the billionaire opened it up to find a box of Fruit Loops. Tucker inwardly groaned, remembering the payback Vlad had done for that little joke.

Suddenly, Dash raced off through a doorway, dragging Kwan with him. "This is boring, let's see what Fenton's got to hide!" he shouted, leading the rest of the class through the shadowy doorway.

There was something like a screen on the opposite wall. It jumped to life, images moving across the surface. The lights dimmed even further, and left the class standing in the dark room as the video played.

* * *

" _We'll rip you apart, molecule by molecule!" Jack called through the window. A shudder ran through him as he stared back as his parents. Deep down, he didn't know if they'd ever accept who he was._ What _he was._

 _Maddie aimed the Fenton Bazooka at him, making him turn away and fly faster. A shot from that would hurt. A lot. He briefly wished his parents knew about him, but he had kept it a secret for so long... so unbelievably long._

* * *

The class milled around after the video had ended, confused and curious. Sam and Tucker realized it was a memory of Danny's, one of the many times his parents threatened him with bodily harm when he was in ghost form. Thankfully, no one understood what had happened and Danny's thought had been narrated only vaguely. If no one thought to hard about it, they wouldn't make the connection.

Sam wondered how long they could keep that up.

Dash rolled his eyes and began complaining again. "That was weird! What was that? Fen _tina_ is afraid of his own parents? What a joke!"

Danny's friends were insanely grateful that Dash was an idiot. They were unnerved by Valerie's silence, though. She was the one they had to be the most cautious of. If they spent too long in Danny's mind, there would be no keeping his secret.

Curiosity led the class astray once again, this time down a gravelly path branching off from the main one. Sam and Tucker saw the crumbling buildings and shattered windows, the futuristic architecture much too familiar for their liking.

Sam raced up to the front of the group. "Mr. Lancer, we've gotta turn around!" she shouted, a note of panic in her voice. Tucker shot after her, attempting to slow the group. He spread his arms out, blocking a good portion of the path.

"Daniel _did_ tell me to listen to you two," the teacher mused, glancing around. "I don't see what's so bad about this place, though. It's in ruins, sure but we haven't seen anything to suggest it's _dangerous_..."

Sam shook her head and glared. "Trust me, if you don't turn back now, you'll wish you had as soon as we run into _him_." She joined Tucker, crossing her arms in silent fury. They shouldn't be there! Danny's memories of home were one thing, but this... this was his worst fear and biggest nightmare all wrapped into one.

"I say we keep going!" Dash shouted. He didn't have much support, though.

Mikey looked around. "Sam and Tucker are Danny's best friends! If they're scared of what might be out there, we probably should be, too," he reasoned, taking a few shaky steps back. Mr. Lancer nodded, leading the class away.

The duo sighed in relief, despite a sense of foreboding. They had the feeling that they'd end up there again, and next time, they wouldn't be able to stop the class.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Another half-hour later, everyone was complaining again. Some people, like Dash and Kwan, were just bored while others, like Paulina and Star, were tired of walking. Everyone wanted something interesting to happen. They wanted answers to their questions. Even Mr. Lancer was sorely tempted to walk through a random doorway and see what happened.

And so they did. Nothing could be said about their stupidity, except maybe 'curiosity killed the cat'. This time, the class was the cat. The next memory they walked in on wasn't pleasant in the least. It was, in fact, the aftermath of one of Danny's many battles.

The lights dimmed and the class plopped down on the floor, watching the video start up and dance across the screen.

* * *

 _Danny, Sam, and Tucker were sitting in Danny's room. The door was locked, and a large first-aid kit was laid out on the bed, gauze and thread tossed haphazardly across the covers. A brown towel was spread underneath Danny as he struggled to remain conscious. The heavy smell of disinfectant mingled with the scent of blood._

" _Hold still, Danny, I'm almost done," Sam said, pulling the thread tighter. She and Tucker had already taken care of their own injuries. Like always, the thin, raven-haired teen had the worst of the damage._

 _The thing Sam was sewing closed was a long gash that ran up Danny's arm and onto his back. Any pain he could feel was nothing compared to the many times he had almost died. He had been electrocuted, stabbed, strangled, almost froze to death, and torn apart again and again by his enemies. There were too many scars to count scattered across his bare torso. Why else would he wear a tank top at the pool over the summer? He wouldn't even be able to go to the pool anymore without showing a particularly nasty scar on his bicep._

 _The goth girl tied off the thread, grimacing. Her work was neat and efficient, but she had wished that they could take him to the hospital instead. It was a good thing Danny was a very quick healer._

 _The duo helped him stand, clearing off the bed so he could lie down. After tossing the bloodied towel in the laundry basket, they stayed with him until he fell asleep, quietly talking about school and their favorite bands._

* * *

When the lights came on, a couple of kids had to race out of the room to throw up. Everyone who hadn't been disturbed enough to throw up turned to face Sam and Tucker, their faces pale and terrified.

Sam shifted uneasily, biting her lip. She had hoped they wouldn't see one of their little first aid sessions. The universe really was out to get them. She absentmindedly tugged the hem of her cutoff shirt a little lower, trying to cover a thin scar on her ribs. That fight had been a very nasty one, a ghost they hadn't met before had shown up and started violently slicing everything apart. The shoulder injury shown in the video wasn't the only one she had needed to sew closed that night. Danny had another large scar on his calf from the fight.

Mr. Lancer was stunned. That amount of detail, the calm the three students had shown in the video, it couldn't have been a nightmare. "That... that was a... memory?" he asked quietly, though it wasn't really a question.

Tucker nodded, putting a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. "Yeah. We can't really dismiss it as a nightmare, can we?" he replied, knowing full well no one would believe it was a nightmare.

"What... what have you three been _doing?_ " their teacher burst, suddenly angry. "Those injuries weren't an accident! How did that happen?!"

Sam flinched. "I can't tell you."

Tucker grabbed her wrist, pulling her after him as he walked briskly out of the room. He didn't really feel like answering questions just then. The goth girl allowed herself to be pulled along, looking around at the different doorways and paths. The gravel one was back. She just hoped that her classmates wouldn't notice. But they would, of course.

* * *

Another five minutes later, and the entire class was walking down the gravel path, filled with a heavy sense of dread. After witnessing the injuries Danny had received, the abandoned buildings and charred streets were much more intimidating.

Sam and Tucker had separated themselves in order to keep a better lookout for the person they were most afraid of meeting. If they ran across _him_ , if it was possible to die from something in Danny's mind, they would be in for it. They were actually praying to come across the older Valerie first, if not insead.

Their prayers were answered when future Valerie skidded across the path in front of the group. She looked around wildly in fear, catching sight of the group of teenagers and one adult. The regret was painfully obvious in her eyes.

"Sam? Tucker? Get out of here! If _he_ finds you-"

She was cut off as an ectoblast slammed into her chest.

There was a deep laugh, rolling smoothly off the man's tongue. "Too late, Valerie. I've found you _and_ some of our old classmates." He turned to survey the group, eyes lingering on four people.

The younger Valerie was freaking out, staring between her older self and the man who looked vaguely like Phantom. The poor girl had no clue what was going on. Lancer wasn't even trying to make heads or tails of the new people in front of him. Valerie. Old classmates. ' _Our'._ He shook his head and looked over to Sam and Tucker, who were very much silent.

"Aw, no Jazz? I guess this is just a _class_ trip, then," he observed, laughing again.

"Go away, Dan! You can't really hurt us here," Tucker shouted. "This is inside Danny's mind! You're just a _bad memory!_ " He crossed his arms, glaring up at the man.

"Now isn't that cute," Dan exclaimed, grinning evilly. "You think I can't hurt you? I assure you, I can. I can, and I _will_. I've finally got a chance to get back at some old bullies, why wouldn't I?" He held up a hand, green fire hovering millimeters above his palm.

Sam stepped up. "The real you is locked up inside Clockwork's tower! Danny beat you once, and he can beat you again!" she called, seething.

Dan rolled his eyes, hovering down to them. "You don't get it, do you? I _am_ Danny. If I still exist, he still turns into me! There's nothing you can do to stop it, Sam." He scoffed. "Anyway, Danny's not here. There's no one to stop me."

He sent a wave of ectoplasm over the group, holding them in place. "You've even brought along Valerie! I take it she still doesn't know who Phantom is?" he mocked, sizing her up. "I'll let you get acquainted with your future self, kid."

He put a bubble around the two Valeries, ensuring they wouldn't escape. He loved the hopeless look on the older Valerie's face. She knew that it was useless. The rest of the class was frozen in place, subject to whatever he put them through. He pulled several people away from the crowd.

Dash Baxter. His bully from high school who never got what was coming to him. Paulina Sanchez, the dumb bimbo who used her looks and money to gain popularity. Sam and Tucker, dear, sweet, loving friends. Mr. Lancer, the English teacher he _hated_ because of how much he let things slide for the jocks and how little help he gave Danny and his friends.

Those five people stood out from the rest. He didn't even remember all of their names. Just those whom he hated and cherished the most. It was almost poetic how they had come to _him_ instead of him needing to find them and hunt them down.

He slammed a fist into Dash's stomach unexpectedly, causing the blond jock to lose his lunch and gasp for breath. Another quick blow to the jaw sent his old bully reeling back, landing on the ground with a sickening thud. Dan cast down a ring of fire, encircling the unconscious student for when he awoke.

Paulina. He shifted back to his old form. Danny Phantom stared lovingly into the teenage girl's eyes. He remembered how she had developed a crush on him. Dan knew just what to do in order to rip her heart to shreds.

He landed on the ground, still gazing softly at her. The familiar white rings formed around his midsection, splitting apart to reveal Danny Fenton, raven-haired teen she had constantly dissed and mocked.

"It's always been me, kid," he snapped, laughing maniacally. "Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom! I'm not all that creative. And look what I turn into!" He shifted back to his 'current' form, Dan Phantom, full ghost, no wimpy human emotions. His muscles rippled as he drew in a breath and faced away from the group.

He let out an ear-splitting wail, carving a trench directly in front of him, destroying every last thing in the path of his Ghostly Wail. When it ended, he turned back to them, looking satisfied with himself.

The younger Valerie was sobbing against the bubble he had placed her in. Sam and Tucker were still frozen in place, but there were tears streaming down Sam's face. Mr. Lancer looked as shocked as ever. Dash was still unconscious.

Dan felt a tug, pulling him away from them. Slowly, one by one, his hold over the students dissipated. The bubble with the two Valeries popped, and the older one instantly had a gun aimed at his head. He knew that Danny was weakening him. He _was_ a figment of the boy's mind, after all. An embodiment of all that was evil within the boy, and some of what was not in him.

"I guess I'm letting you go," he stated, annoyed. "Younger me is cutting our time together short, so do come back and visit! I've got lots planned for you all. I've had it planned for _ten years_ and I'm still going strong!"

The last thing they heard or saw before being whisked away to safety was the cruel laughter echoing off the ruined buildings of Amity Park.

* * *

Sam curled up in a corner, shaking. Tucker crouched over her, rubbing her back in circles in an attempt to sooth the girl. He hated what the alternate-future Danny had done, and what he stood for. They were lucky Danny had enough control to got them out when he did.

"That man is _Daniel?_ " Mr. Lancer asked, shocked.

The techno geek whipped his head around, a cold glare locked on to the man. "Is. Will be. It's all _relative_. He promised us he wouldn't turn into that. He almost did, when he almost cheated on the C.A.T. test. You, me, Sam, Danny's family? We died in an explosion at the Nasty Burger. He got depressed and had his ghost half _ripped out_ of him. Did the same to another person, and ended up as the ultimate evil. He even killed his human half."

Lancer tried to take it all in. It was too much to absorb. Daniel Fenton was Danny Phantom all along. He could become something like what they saw. That was an alternate future version of his lazy, failing student who missed class so often. Worst of all, the cause of that horrid future was none other than Daniel's family, friends, and Mr. Lancer's own death.

Tucker shook his head sadly. "After seeing that, I don't think we _could_ hide it from you anymore. Every time Danny is late to class or has to skip school, what did you think he was doing? He isn't the kind of person to slack off that much. Hell, he comes from a family of _geniuses_. Inventors, his sister scored the highest ever on the C.A.T., no one in that family is or ever was normal."

Mr. Lancer just rubbed his neck, feeling the strain of new information. "I guess some of the school Mr. Fenton has missed was because of injuries...?" he wondered aloud. He wasn't really expecting to get an answer.

Dash took a step toward the corner where Sam and Tucker were kneeling. "I've... I've been beating up Danny Phantom this whole time? Why didn't he ever fight back? I _know_ he could have wailed on me!" he exclaimed, extremely confused and anxious.

Tucker gave him what was possibly the coldest glare Dash had ever seen. "He didn't fight back because he didn't want to hurt an _innocent human_. Not that you were all that innocent."

Sam sniffled and turned to face her classmate, shoulders still shaking. "Danny... he knew he could seriously hurt you. If he... if he wanted... to," she muttered between sobs. "H-he did prank you a... couple of... times, but he always kept himself... from snapping."

The techno geek squeezed her hand and stood. "You guys are going to have to promise to keep this whole thing a secret." A large outcry rolled from the group, students protested and shouted in dismay. Tucker held up a hand and continued, "If you don't, think of what will happen to Danny. He's _half ghost!_ Government agents want to experiment on Danny Phantom already, what do you think they'd do if they found out he was half human, half ghost?"

"I see your point, Mr. Foley. I think that we should keep Danny's secret, class," he called, agreeing with the argument the teen had set up. "This isn't a matter of being friendly with your favorite hero, people! This is a matter of respecting a peer's privacy and protecting his life!"

With that, most of the people in the class called out confirmation that they would keep their mouths shut, while the rest grudgingly nodded in agreement. Paulina was torn between her love for Phantom and her dislike of Fenton. Dash felt unbearably guilty. Valerie remained silent, but there was a burning anger in her eyes.

Valerie was the one the trio had to be concerned about the most. She had just met a future version of herself and at the same time discovered that Danny Fenton, the cute, innocent boy she dated a while back, was in fact Danny Phantom, her worst enemy. She felt betrayed, confused, depressed, and guilty. She still cared about Danny, but she didn't know how to handle her feelings towards Phantom. Did he really try to ruin her life?

She remembered all the times Phantom had tried to tell her that he wasn't evil. The mayor had been overshadowed. He wasn't actually the ghost dog's owner. He never shot directly _at_ her. Only at the weapons and hoverboard she used. But that one time with the suit... did he really know she wasn't in it? Could she trust him?

Valerie listened to the argument between Tucker and the class in a moody silence.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Eventually, they continued on. More people were convinced it was for the best if they kept Danny's secret, though Tucker ended up having to threaten some with bodily harm and mortal embarrassment in order to get some of them to shut up and keep their mouths closed.

For a while, no one wanted to go into anymore rooms or travel down a stray path. The silence was strained and tense. The fear and discomfort was tangible, a far cry from what it had been at the beginning of their journey.

Then the unfortunate happened. The students' fear wore off, leading to boredom.

A loud girl at the end of the group shouted, "Let's go in here! It looks interesting."

She drew their attention to a door frame with torn caution tape over it, leading into a pure white room. She and the majority of the class wandered over to it, and Tucker watched in horror as they entered the room. He had a bad feeling, not unlike the one he had earlier about the gravel path that nearly led to their destruction.

When he and Sam reached the room, they froze. The walls of the white room were covered from floor to ceiling with red and black scribbles in that oh-so-familiar handwriting, though it was a little shaky and uneven. In the center of the room, surrounded by students, sat an unhealthily thin Danny Fenton.

The raven-haired boy had never looked worse. His face was gaunt, cheeks hollow and eyes dull. His hair had lost its luster, and even the bright lights of the white room could barely add a shine to the thin black locks. He had scratches on his arms and neck, and he held a black pen in one frail hand.

The words on the wall were far more disturbing than they expected.

 _Freak. Half-breed. Monster._

 _Humans fear me. I'm not natural._

 _Ghosts hate me. I don't fit. They even made up their own term for me._ _ **Halfa.**_

 _Half-dead lab accident._

 _I must protect them. They need my help. I_ _ **have**_ _to save them._

 _My parents want to dissect me. I'm just a gross freak. Not even a freak of nature._

 _Everyone hates Phantom. Everyone hates_ _ **me**_ _._

 _Fenton is bullied. Why do people hate Fenton? I haven't done anything to them!_

 _Worthless._

 _Only Vlad wants me around. Only he can understand._

 _It's painful! It hurts! Make it stop!_

 _What if I can't save them?_

 _My friends can't die!_

 _I can't become_ _ **him**_ _. I promised I wouldn't become that._

 _I promised..._

 _ **...**_

The room represented Danny's delicate mental state. Tucker felt an urge to go hug the little teen in the center of the room. He wanted his best friend to know that everything would be okay. He needed Danny to feel like someone cared about him for _him_ , not for his powers.

He gently touched Danny's shoulder. The boy looked up wildly, eyes glowing a bright neon green. When his eyes met Tuckers, they faded slowly back to their soft blue. His best friend could see pain behind those dull eyes. Danny had suffered so much.

"When we get out of here, I'm taking you to the Nasty Burger and we can play video games all night. Just like we used to," Tucker whispered softly, pulling him into a hug.

Danny just relaxed into it, going limp with exhaustion. When Tucker lowered him to the ground, the boy curled up again, muttering under his breath. He reverted to the state they found him in.

Tucker turned to find Sam hadn't stayed in the room. He guessed it was too much for the girl to handle after meeting with Dan Phantom. She really _did_ love Danny. His heart went out to her. Their class had dragged them into things that were deeper and more private than even he and Sam had privilege to know.

After everyone filed out of the room, he called to Mr. Lancer to stop the group.

"We will _not_ be making any more stops!" Tucker shouted, enraged. "If I see _one more person_ going into a room or down a path, I will _personally_ make sure their life is RUINED. Got that?!" He glared at the group, fuming.

No one spoke. No one doubted his words. They realized they had more to fear than just Danny's retribution once they got out of the halfa's mind. Slowly, they nodded and moved on. It was another half-hour before they got to the exit point.

* * *

Once the class had left Danny's mind, they woke up in their seats with the knowledge of Danny's special situation. They had seen some of his fears. They had experienced the strain on his mind up close and personal. They were silent, waiting for the boy to wake up.

Tucker and Sam stood next to their best friend and pressed the release button on the boy's goggles. Thankfully, a manual release button _had_ been included on the prototypes of the unique technology. With a groan, the ghost teen began to wake up and stretch.

"What happened?" he mumbled. "I feel like I got hit by a bus..."

Sam grinned, tears welling up in her eyes. "You showed them some pretty personal stuff, Danny. And you rescued the class when they met _him_. You're protecting people even now, in your own mind."

"Dude, that was the scariest trip I have _ever_ been on. Let's never do that again," Tucker said, poking him in the ribs.

Danny laughed, brushing his bangs out of his face. He felt a little weird, true, but other than a bit of exhaustion, nothing felt off. What Tucker had said, though... what had his class seen while they were inside his head. Sam had mentioned _him_. He wondered if any of his classmates had figured out that he was Danny Phantom.

"Did anyone... y'know?" he asked quietly.

Sam rolled her eyes. "The _entire class_ figured it out, courtesy of your jerky future self."

Danny whipped around to stare at them. Everyone had an expression ranging from shock to disbelief to fear. He groaned again, and smacked his head against the desk. He could feel their eyes on him, waiting for him to make a move.

A muffled, "I knew this was a bad idea," came from him, head still on the desk.

Tucker slapped his back. "Cheer up, Danny. I made _very_ sure none of them will tell anyone else. If they do... well, you don't really wanna know what will happen. Let's just leave it at mortal embarrassment for now," he explained cheerfully.

Sam leaned over and whispered, "You might want to have a talk with Valerie, though."

He took a moment to glance at the ghost hunter girl. She had her eyes focused on the top of her desk, silent and unmoving. He wondered how she'd react to him, now that she knew he was the ghost she hated with a passion.

The bell didn't ring for another ten minutes, so he wandered over to her. "Valerie? Can we talk for a sec?" he asked. She nodded, standing up to follow him. He noticed she made an effort to look anywhere but where he was.

Once they were far enough away from the class, she spoke. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Danny sighed. "You hated my guts. Well, you hated _Phantom's_ guts, anyway. I didn't want to mess up the friendship we had. I didn't know if you believe me, or try to cut off our relations, or hunt me even harder than before. I was afraid, Val. You're a good ghost hunter."

She looked up at him, and flinched. "Every time I look at you, now, I can see the white hair and green eyes. Why didn't I notice it before?" she groaned, running a hand over her hair. "Danny Phantom. Danny Fenton. It's so obvious."

"That's probably why. That, and Fenton is a weak loser who gets bullied. Not a hero, not a villain, just an average teen," he explained. "Everyone was too close to see the truth."

"I'm sorry. I know you tried to tell me you weren't evil. I should have listened, at least a little. When I rescued Danielle, made friends with her, I thought that maybe there were others like her. Good ghosts- or half-ghosts. I guess I was too caught up in my hatred." She was close to tears.

"Let me know one thing, though," she continued. "Did you know I wasn't in my suit? That time you blew it up? I just... that made me think Phantom didn't really care about killing me. If it was you, though... did you know?"

Danny nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I would never have done that if I thought you were still in the thing. From the get-go, I always tried to keep from hurting you. If I ever did, I'm sorry. It's kind of hard to hold back when someone is trying to destroy you."

She laughed, catching him off guard. "Danny! It's amazing that you were able to hold back that _much_ , considering the circumstances. I just wish I had known. Maybe I could have helped you. Did you know Vlad Masters is a half-ghost, too?"

The ghost boy rolled his eyes. "A long time ago. He's been trying to make me his son and apprentice for a long time. The _perfect_ halfa son for him. It is beyond creepy that he even tried to clone me. Danielle came from that experiment."

"So that's why you two looked so similar. I'm glad I met her. If I hadn't, you might have been dead, already," Valerie commented. "I came pretty close to destroying Phantom- you- that time. She's such a sweet girl."

"No offense, but if you actually had come close, I probably would've revealed myself if I couldn't see another way out. Staying alive, as much as I currently am, is high on my list of priorities. I'm surprised you aren't angry at me for keeping it a secret, though."

She shrugged, glaring. "Oh, I am, Ghost Boy. I could have _killed_ you!"

He laughed. "True. How did the trip in my head go?"

Valerie gasped, remembering the events. "You met a future version of me? And I was trying to kill you. What happened to turn Phantom into _that?_ He's not like you at all!" She had been terrified of the dark, older ghost.

"A lot, Val. A lot happened to me. In the past _and_ in the future. I still don't know if I'll turn into him or not. Dan Phantom is currently living outside the time stream, and I don't know if that means he'll disappear if that future does or not." Danny's eyes were dark, and green sparks crackled in his blue irises.

"So that ghost really was you," she asked, but it wasn't really a question.

He nodded. "My ghost half, fused with Plasmius's. Apparently, he killed his human half after his ghost half was ripped out. Phantom couldn't cope with the evil from Plasmius. It ended up overpowering him. Me."

"That's our biggest threat, then." Valerie crossed her arms. "We just have to keep your ghost half from getting ripped out? If that's all, I think we can manage just fine."

Danny sighed again, ruffling his hair. "I don't know, Val. If it's that easy, would he really be my biggest enemy? I think there's the chance I can become that without Plasmius, as slim as it may be. I promised I wouldn't become that."

She hugged him. "Then we just have to help you keep that promise."


End file.
